Confederate widow, 93, dies in Ark. (Believed to be the last Civil War widow)

[Cooley Hurd]

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/18/maudie-cecilia-hopkins-93-confederate-widow-dies/

(sorry about the Moonie Times link)

Maudie Cecilia Hopkins of Lexa, Ark., one of the last known Confederate widows, died Sunday at the Helena Medical Center in Helena, Ark. She was 93.

Mrs. Hopkins' story came to light in The Washington Times on June 12, 2004, in an exclusive article that detailed the 1934 marriage of Civil War veteran William Cantrell and the then-teenage girl.

Mr. Cantrell had served in the 7th Virginia Infantry, and the aging veteran first hired Maudie Acklin to cook for him and do his laundry.

As time passed and he became more feeble, he asked her to move in with him, and when Miss Acklin declined for reasons of propriety, he suggested that they marry, saying he would deed his house and lot to her if she would.

They were married in August 1934 in Baxter County, Ark., when he was 86. Their married life continued until he died in 1937.

</snip>

Wow!:wow:

[E-Z-B]

1. Amazing.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Actually, I believe that it happened more than this one time

I've read of other aging Civil War veterans who took very young brides in their senior years, and for the reasons stated in the article. Back in the 20s and 30s in an agriculturally depressed South, a man with a pension (and Confederates were given pensions starting in 1908)was a catch, because it meant economic security for the woman and someone to look after them for the man. Realize that at this time if there wasn't family to look after an elderly person they were in a fix. I had a great great great uncle, a Union veteran (but one who didn't receive a pension as he wasn't disabled by the war), who followed this chap's example--sad thing was his young bride took all his money and ran off, leaving him to die in the poor house.

[Thothmes]

3. It apparently happend more often than we would

imagine. About 10-12 years ago, there were still 5 or 6 Confederate widows living in the Confederate home in Richmond,VA. These ladies had married Confederate veterans in their 70s when they were in their teens.

[ColbertWatcher]

6. "These ladies had married Confederate veterans in their 70s when they were in their teens."

That is some sick shit right there.

[Posteritatis]

11. The article implies that this one was a marriage of convenience

It looked like a formality to avoid any raised eyebrows at live-in help or something - it sounds like the guy was all but incapacitated due to age anyway - and the wife got a secure piece of property in the end. Especially given the time it happened, I don't think I can get away with being terribly judgemental on that one.

[Virginia Dare]

15. It was a win-win..

the gentleman got a caretaker, and the girl got some security. It was all on the up and up. There were no such things as nursing homes back then.

[Virginia Dare]

14. As I mentioned down thread, kind of like an Anna Nicole Smith...n/t

[theboss]

4. I believe a Confederate soldier's pension was $20 a month

Which was a small fortune in the South during the Depression.

Hence, this happened a few times.

[mdmc]

5. kick

[Thothmes]

12. deleted.

[Condem]

7. Did she tell all?

[Hippo_Tron]

8. Wait, John McCain had three wives?

:evilgrin:

[ColbertWatcher]

10. LOL! Best. Answer. Ever. n/t

[kaiden]

9. My father was born in 1920. My great-grandfather died in 1921.

My great grandfather (my dad's grandfather) was a Civil War Veteran who married a younger woman after the war -- they had children born in the late 1880's -- it always stuns me how CLOSE to those Civil War veterans I am.

[Virginia Dare]

13. That's amazing....

marrying an 86 year old man for propriety (and the house), different times, but kind of like what Anna Nicole Smith did.